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Home My WebLink About1982-07-14 Planning Board MinutesMinutes of, the Meeting of July 14, 1982 Chairman Mitchel called the. meeting to order at 7*10 P.M. in. Room 19, 52 Sanborn Street Cthe Community Centerl with Board members K. Messina, J. Shaw, M. Rich and A. Burne present. Due to the fact that Mr. Messina had to attend the Building Reuse meeting at 7:30 P.M., the Board moved the discussion of his report out of order. PUD, PRD and Cluster Developments Mr. Messina gave an overview of the research that he had been doing on other communities in eastern Massachusetts that have some form of cluster development. He outlined a format he would be taking to develop his report and said that it would be possible to have some sort of a warrant article ready for Fall Town Meeting, if the Planning Board felt that was necessary. The Chairman discussed briefly the meeting that the Conservation Commission held wi.th_Mr, Jack Rivers regarding the land off North Main Street/Sanborn Lane area. This parcel would be large enough for some sort of cluster development and Mr. Rivers had suggested increasing the density by a 2:1 ratio. Mr. Messina stated that the Towns that have single family developments, as far as he can determine, usually do not allow an increase in density, An outline of the report will be typed and sent to all members in the next mailing. A more detailed outline and report will be ready for the next meeting, August l8th, according to Mr. Messina.' overall Development Plan Chairman Mitchel handed out an outline of the overall development plan for the Town as he envisioned it. The Board reviewed and discussed the outline. The Board decided that it would be best to confine this to a report and that the recommendations and/or alternatives be explored at a later time. In the meantime, the Board discussed the best way to address and inform the general public on areas of concern within the Town. Several. articles in the Chronicle discussing the concerns and the possible consequences and some alternatives was agreed to be the best way to inform the general citizenry. Mr. Mitchel will be respQn- Bible for development of this. Condominium Development Mr. Burne had done some initial investigatory work on the condominium issue, its problems, some solutions by other cities/towns and general legislation (House Bill #2201) before the great and General Court, which is now in its third,, reading in committee, and looks favorable. Condominium developments have both benefits and negatives within a community and his report will develop both pros and cons, looking at what restrictions would be best for this community. The report will summarize the MAPC report and will specifically detail the impacts to the Town of Reading, as well as detail some of the restrictions the Town should consider. Population Study and Reuse Rezoning Ms. Rich stated that the report given in March 1981 is all that is PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CLUSTER, PUD, PRD DEVELOPMENTS K.G. Messina - Definition Most widely accepted definition is proposed by the SE Michigan Council of Governments - Cluster development (also includes PUD): housing units are grouped together rather than spread over the entire site allowing for high-density in certain areas and pre- serving open space and natural areas on other portions of the site. Generally, i_t: does not allow for increasing the density on the site, but on a local level, where applicable, it can. Depending upon local zoning, cluster developments can be all single family, multi-family or mixed can be done. This is the area that the Planning Board should consider very care- fully. Do we want to allow detached single family only, or multi- family or mixed? I feel that the nature of a cluster development would change significantly with the selection of one of these. Greenspace and common open space areas are usually held and main- tained by a Master Deed - maintenance costs gathered by annual fee. B. _ BENEFITS To Town: By this approach, floodplains, wetlands, stands of trees can be untouched to hold stormwater runoff (because of the minimization of impervious areas. - Concentration of buildings on a portion of the land, reducing the mass grading and erosion which would occur and thus producing less sediment reaching streams and waterways. Can combine stormwater runoof with recreational activities. Savings in park land acquisition/development and maintenance costs. Reduction in public roadway maintenance. - Reduction of Public Service costs. - Protection of Natural Stormwater Protection areas. To Developer: - Sometimes as much as 400 of the development is devoted to open space preservation Plan approval costs much higher PREIIY NARY REPORT CI;GSTER, PUD, PRD KGM Page 3 METHODOLOGY: A. - Define what Cluster, PRD, PUD is, its purpose, B. - Cite benefits C. - negatives D. Examples of what is currently being done.: Dennis Lynnfield Acton Wayland Lincoln Other E. - Other contiguous Towns F - Input from MAPC, LWV and other Town Boards G. - Article construction - Prepare draft of the way PB wants to proceed. H. Actual TM Warrant Article could: be, drafted by mid to late September Before the close of Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant. PRELIMINARY REPORT CLUSTER, PUD, PRD KGM Page 3 METHODOLOGY A. - Define what Cluster, PRD, PUD is, its purpose, B. - Cite benefits C. - Negatives D. Examples of what is currently being done.; Dennis Lynnfield Acton Wayland Lincoln Other E. - Other contiguous Towns F.. Input from MAPC, LT+N and other Town Boards G. - Article construction - Prepare draft of the way PB wants to proceed. H.. - Actual TM Warrant Article could be drafted by mid to late September Before the close of Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant. PRELIMINARY REPORT CLUSTER, PUD, PRD KG'ni Page 2 TOWNS THAT HAVE THIS AND THEIR REASONS: Lvnnfield - GREEN BELT ZONING To promote the more efficient use of land in harmony with its natural features, and to protect, promote the health, safety, convenience and general welfare of the inhabitants of the Town. Acton Encourage preservation of common land for conservation, agriculture, open space and recreational uses, to preserve historical and archeo- logical resources, to protect existing or potential municipal water supplies, to protect value of real property; to promote more sensitive siting of buildings and better overall site planning; to promote better utilization of land in harmony with its natural features; to allow greater flexibility of design and to allow more efficient provision of municipal services. Dennis OPEN SPACE VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT To allow relatively intensive use of land, while at the same time main- taining existing character; to preserve open space for conservation and recreation,•.to introduce variety and choice into residential develop- ments; to meet housing needs; and to facilitate economical and efficient provisions of public services. Lincoln - CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT L To promote more efficient use of land in harmony with its natural features; to protect and promote the health, safety and convenience and general welfare of the Town. Wayland FLEXIBLE DEVELOPMENT More efficient use of land in harmony with its natural features. The predominant theme is to allow in a certain area (a certain specific area) reduced lot size and frontage, to promote more efficient use of land, 'and preserve the open space. Questions to be answered: 1) -`Determine the amount of net buildable land, less wetlands? 2) - How is ratio for greenspace to be computed? 3) Check out No. Reading PRD. 7/14/82 Page 2 possible at the present time as none of the economic data is able from the Federal government yet. This was suppose to be in before Summer and it is now estimated that it may not be ready before 1983. Until this information is available, the population study is at a stand- still. The Chairman requested that Ms. Rich present a written prelim- inary study with the data currently available at the next meeting. Building Reuse: Mr. Messina is now serving on the committee to study reuse of the Library building adjacent to Town Hall. Ms. Rich stated that whatever they do with that building will affect reuse of the remaining properties. Chairman Mitchel asked Maureen Rich to outline the properties presently available and also look into "accessory apartments" and get a preliminary report to the office for distri- bution. Development Potentials Mr. Shaw reported that Mr. Rivers does-not at present own all the land under discussion for cluster development off of Sanborn Lane. He is still in the negotiating process for some of the key pieces of land to link the parcels together. Mr. Shaw also reported that the Adams/Gentile property off Pleasant Street is also under discussion for development for low and moderate income family housing using federal money. They are looking to get 1000 HUD financing for this proposal. The Chairman discussed the proposal as presented to the Conservation Commission on the Batchelder Field property off Franklin Street. Until more specific information is available, the Board will table any further discussion on this matter. Minutes The Board unanimously accepted the minutes of June 23, 1982, as corrected. Correspondence The Board reviewed the correspondence and referred all matters to the Secretary for disposition. The Board unanimously voted to adjourn at 10:35 P.M. The next meeting will be held at 7 P.M. on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1982. Respectfully submitted, Kenneth G. Messina, Clerk